2005 J/133 FOR SALE

The J/133 is the embodiment of the J/Boats ethos - setting a new standard for race-winning speed under multiple handicap systems, stability for shorthanded cruising, durability for rough offshore passages, an easy to manage sail plan and performance cruising comfort. 

The J/133's generous sail plan provides performance in both breeze and light airs, and with a low center of gravity, makes for short handed stability while eliminating the need for multiple sail changes across wind speed bands. 

Her generous cockpit and aft led lines deck layout transit readily from day sailing, to single handling to fully race crewed. 

J-HAWK features the coveted performance cruising triple cabin interior and was factory loaded with many upgrade packages including her deluxe satin finished cherry joinery, a well-equipped double sink galley with refrigeration, stove and microwave, and Ultra-Leather pearl upholstery. Comfortable sleeping for 6 combined with excellent storage systems in each cabin plus port and starboard seating in the main salon provides comfort space and luxury for anything from day trips to blue water passage making. A MUST SEE cruising sailboat to fulfill your dreams of sailing the Seven Seas! Learn more about this J/133 brokerage sailboat for sale here- https://jnet.jboats.com/listings/2005-J133-YCgd7FzUAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

Annapolis to Newport Race Announcement

(Annapolis, MD)- The Annapolis Yacht Club is pleased to announce the Notice of Race for the 2021 Annapolis to Newport Race has been posted and online entry is now open. This will be 38th biennial edition of the Race, which originated in 1947.  Starts will take place on Friday, June 4th and Saturday, June 5th.

In order to deal with the complications of Covid-19 we have made a few adjustments to the format:

Given current the current public health climate in Maryland and Rhode Island, we are unable to commit to the social components of the event at this time, including the pre-start All Hands Competitors’ Party at Annapolis Yacht Club, and the Hospitality Tent and Awards Party in Newport.  The resulting good news is that gives us the opportunity to significantly reduce the entry fee to a flat $700 per boat, if paid by March 15th.  By comparison, a 40’ boat paid a $1,400 entry fee in 2019.  The popular social events of the race are still on our radar and if the public health situation improves, we may be able to add some or all to the schedule. Social events will be charged on a per person basis, separately from the entry fee. 
    
Entry fees are fully refundable if the race is cancelled, or a boat withdraws before May 21st.
    
The registration process has been streamlined so that all entry requirements or paperwork can be completed online, by email or fax, so that only a quick, socially distanced visit to Annapolis Yacht Club to pick up the YB tracker will be required. 
    
Trophies will be awarded via a virtual Awards Presentation if we are unable to host an in-person event.
    
Our very popular seminar series on boat and crew preparation will be presented virtually via Zoom Webinar.  The first "What to Expect Seminar on Sails, Rigging and Electronics" is scheduled for Saturday, February 20th at 1000 EST. 
    
The official event site https://www.annapolisnewportrace.com/ will continue to be populated with information including event partners.  At this time, we’d like to thank Spinsheet, Helly Hansen and Team One Newport for joining us again and supporting the 2021 Annapolis to Newport Race.    

In 2021, we will be offering starts for boats rated under the ORC and PHRF rules, including an ORC Double Handed division and a Classic Yacht division rated under PHRF.

Some good things remain the same:

• As in the past several races, there will be two starts, with the slower ORC and PHRF boats and the Double Handed division starting on Friday, June 4th and the faster boats on Saturday, June 5th.
• All boats will sail the offshore course, leaving the Chesapeake and rounding Chesapeake Light Tower.
• We will provide a truck to transport your gear to and from Newport.
• Arrangements have been made for discounted dockage at Newport Yachting Center.

For more Annapolis to Newport Race sailing information

J/Crews Sweep New York YC Annual Regatta

 

(Newport, RI)- Ultimately, North America's oldest annual regatta featured three great days of racing including the separately scored Around-the-Island Race on Friday, October 2. Competition took place in ORC/ PHRF handicap classes and the focus of this year's event was getting back on the water and sailing. 

Attracting nearly 100 Boats, New York Yacht Club Commodore William P. Ketcham (Greenwich, Conn.) was committed to running the 166th edition. “That is why we kept delaying the event rather than canceling it outright. It was a challenge, but we finally got to a point where we could run it based on Rhode Island’s COVID-19 guidelines and our own Club policies on safety. The enthusiasm on the water, both this weekend and at last weekend’s Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex, was tremendous. Our team on MAXINE packed basically our entire sailing season into two weeks, and we couldn’t have had more fun.”


With 11 points in four races, Ketcham’s J/44 MAXINE placed second in ORC 3. At the head of the class was Tom Sutton’s J/109 LEADING. While Sutton hails from Houston, Texas, where he lives and sails in the cooler months, Newport has become a second home.

With most multi-day sailing regattas in 2020 were canceled, the LEADING EDGE team cobbled together a summer of weeknight and one-day races in and around Narragansett Bay.

“We raced every race on Tuesday night and did the weekend regattas,” says Sutton. “We went to Block Island with the Twenty Hundred Club, we raced around Prudence Island two times, Conanicut Island four or five times. We’ve gotten in more sailboat racing than in most years. But we miss racing around the buoys. That’s what we really like.”


All that time on the water paid off this weekend with wins in the Around the Island Race on October 2 as well as the Annual Regatta around the buoys. Sutton was quick to share the credit, singling out his wife Diana for her work off the water and on the foredeck and the team’s tactical brain trust of Tom Meeh and Alex Crowell.

“My guys work as hard or harder than anybody,” says Tom Sutton. “We’ve sailed together since 2014 and everybody a great time this year. We’re all looking forward to coming back next summer.”

As it turns out, J/Teams lead a sweep of the top five in ORC 3 Class. Third step on the podium went to Ken Luczynski's J/44 VAMP, fourth to John & Sue Sutherland's 19th NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, and fifth place to Bill Kneller's J/109 VENTO SOLARE. Job well done to all! 


Winning PHRF 1 Class was Bob Manchester's J/133 VAMOOSE, followed by Joe Brito's J/121 INCOGNITO in fourth place. 

In past years, the Annual Regatta would signal the start of the Newport sailing season, with competitors looking forward to Race Weeks in Newport or Block Island, or a long thrash to Bermuda. This year, however, it closed out the racing season.

The summer of 2020 wasn’t what anyone expected, but those fortunate enough to participate in the 166th Annual Regatta will head into winter with fresh memories of competition and camaraderie. The 167th edition of the New York Yacht Club’s Annual Regatta is scheduled for June 11 to 13, 2021.Sailing photo credits- NYYC/ Rolex/ Daniel Forster. For more New York YC Annual Regatta sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

J/133 PATRIOT Sailing Again Down Under

We received an update from J/133 owner of PATRIOT from Sydney, Australia- Jason Close:

"We have had little sailing since Sydney- Hobart due to our state Victoria’s unbelievably harsh restrictions due to Covid 19 (which we are still in lockdown after 6 months!)

We did manage to race in the Sail Peninsula regatta in February and won the overall measurement rating division out of 21 entrants (which included a new J/121, which we had some great racing with). This was a good result for us after our solid Hobart campaign.

Here are photos of us on the water in the passing Tasman Island and entering Storm Bay in the final stages of the Sydney Hobart Race. The other photo is our team shot on the dock at Hobart.

We are yet to make immediate future racing plans due to our restrictions, but hopefully, we can finalize things in the upcoming weeks, fingers crossed!" (Editor's Note- we mistakenly attributed Jason's PATRIOT class win in the 2019 Sydney Hobart to another colleague's J/133. Apologies to all). :)

Tri-State Fly-By Race Preview

(Chicago, IL)- In days past, the traditional Labor Day Weekend Tri-State Race (a 3-day event) would start in Chicago, head over to Michigan across the southern parts of Lake Michigan, stay overnight, then race down to Indiana, stay overnight and party-hardy again, the race home to Chicago. However, due to all kinds of multi-state guidelines on pandemic guidelines, the race is now simply a long-distance triangle race. Starting in Chicago, over to the St Joseph, MI harbor entrance buoy (a fly-by), down to Michigan City, IN harbor entrance buoy (another fly-by), then back to Chicago.  What is surprising is the strong interest in the race, especially by the double-handed and singlehanded entries.

In the PHRF Double class, four J/105s are participating; including Mike Sheppard's notorious FLYING PIG, Mark Gannon's GANGBUSTERS, Mike Hettel's GLOBAL NOMADS, and Ralph Krauss's YUKON. Joining them is John Kalanik's J/111 PURA VIDA and Ron Otto's J/110 TAKEDOWN 2. In the Singlehanded class are duel J/105s (David Pierce's CAUGHT IN TRAFFIC and Brian Crabb's SEA-U).

In PHRF SPIN 3 class is Andy Graff's race-winning J/88 EXILE along with Judith & Ross McLean's J/105 ESPRIT d'ECOSSE. Sailing PHRF SPIN 2 class is the J/99 RAMBLER along with Mitch Weisman's J/105 FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER. PHRF Spin 1 Cass features two J/111s (Boyd Jarrell's HEADROOM and Kevin Saedi & Raman Yousefi's MOMENTOUS) and Tom Papoutsis's J/133 RENEGADE.  For more Tri-State Fly-By Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Vineyard Race Preview

(Stamford, CT)- Hosted by Stamford YC, Labor Day weekend's Vineyard Race is a classic American yachting event. This 238-mile course stretches from Shippan Point through the swirling currents of Plum Gut past Block Island, and on to the light tower at the entrance to Buzzard's Bay. Once reached, sailors return by leaving Block Island to starboard en route to the finish in Stamford Harbor.

Begun in 1932, it has attracted the finest sailors and fastest boats for nearly 80 years, and its intricacies and challenges bring them back time after time. Those who are successful nearly always credit local knowledge of these tricky waters and a good deal of luck.

The Vineyard Race was described in Yachting Magazine as, "The greatest distance races of the world have several things in common - a challenging course, competitive fleets and an interesting array of famous yachts. By those standards, the Stamford Yacht Club's Vineyard Race rates close to the top. Like a miniature Fastnet, the Vineyard has a combination of coastal cruising, where currents play a big role, a stretch of ocean sailing, and a mark to round- the Buzzards Bay tower- before returning."  There are several dozen J/Crews participating in this year's race. And, they are scattered amongst the three race tracks.


VINEYARD RACE (longest distance)
Racing in PHRF 7 Double Class is David Rosow's J/109 LOKI and the Young American AYC team on their J/105 YOUNG AMERICAN. Sailing in PHRF 8 Double Class is Sara & Josh Reisberg's J/120 ABILYN. ORC Class 10 includes John Greifzu's J/109 GROWTH SPURT. The twelve-boat PHRF 11 Class is loaded with well-sailed J/Teams; including Arthur Hanlon's J/112E DAUNTLES, a trio of J/120s (Brian Spears's MADISON, Mark Nannini's SALACIA, & Charles Murphy's TRUANT), and a trio of J/109s (Don Dwyer's GUARDIAN J, Dan Nash's MISTRAL, & Cao Deambrosio & Chris Nicholls's RHIANNON III). The nine-boat PHRF 12 Class has a trio of J/111s racing (Bill & Jackie Baxter's FIREBALL, John Donovan's LIBERTAS YCC, & Pito Chickering's THE ROOST) and a duo of J/122s sailing (Dan Heun's MOXIEE & Kevin Kelley's SUMMER GRACE). Finally, in ORC 13 Class are two very fast-reaching boats, Steve Levy's J/121 EAGLE and Len Sitar's J/160 COUGAR.


SEAFLOWER REEF RACE (medium distance)
Participating in PHRF 4 Double Class is Robert Pogue's J/92 NEVER SETTLE.  Then, in the eight-boat PHRF 5 Class are a number of J/Teams, including Justin Scagnelli & Tim Price's J/88 ALBONDIGAS, a duo of J/105s (Frank Conway’s RAPTOR & David Spence's SYNERGY), and Todd Aven's hot J/99 THIN MAN!

CORNFIELD POINT RACE (shortest distance)
Sailing in the PHRF 1 Class is James Weil's J/92 VIXEN. They will be competing for overall handicap honors with Blaine Davis's J/30 BOUREE in PHRF 2 Class.  For more Vineyard Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/133 Scores Hat Trick in Sydney Harbour!

(Sydney, Australia)- Results from stunning Sydney Harbour are coming in as the Australian racing season concludes, including a remarkable "Hat Trick" of race wins in three races by Tony Coleman's unstoppable J/133 EUPHORIA.

In a wide range of conditions, from drifters to 40 knot gales, and winds from every quadrant of the compass, EUPHORIA showed a clean pair of heels over this amazing season against the cream of Sydney’s high-end, high-test racing fleet that includes several TP52s and past dual Rolex Sydney Hobart winners- Ichi Ban and Quest (ex Balance).  EUPHORIA's wins included:

1.  1st Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron Summer No. 1 Division Spinnaker Series- from January to April 2020

2.  1st Combined Clubs No 1 Division with Spinnaker Winter Series (including, Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Middle Harbour Yacht Club, Sydney Amateurs and Royal Australian Navy Sailing Association and several other clubs participating in this popular series- from May to August 2020

3.  1st Royal Australian Naval Sailing Association Winter Wednesday Series- from June to August 2020


Tony and his crew had the following to say about the boat and the series. “It has been a great start to our 2020 sailing year following our return from competing in the 75th Sydney Hobart race in December 2019. EUPHORIA, despite being 16 years old now, performed exceptionally well. We would like to thank all the clubs involved in keeping us all going with our sailing in these extraordinary times and also thank our competition who certainly kept us on our toes and pushed us all the way.“Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Great Sailing @ Chicago YC Verve Cup

(Chicago, IL)- One of the largest course-racing regattas in North America, the Verve Cup is an annual world-class sailing event attracting many national and international competitors. Both the 3-day Offshore Regatta and, later, the 2-day Inshore Regatta host well over 100 yachts off the beautiful Chicago lakefront and skyline.

For this year's edition of the Verve Cup Offshore Regatta, it featured three J/One-design fleets (J/88, J/105, & J/109) along with ORR and PHRF Handicap fleets.  Overall, J/Crews had strong performances in all classes, with just about every one of them enjoying an eight-race series!


For starters, the J/88 class turned-out in strength, with six boats ponying up to the line. Starting very fast out of the gates with four-straight bullets was Ben Marden's BANTER. After taking a breather overnight, they closed the deal with another day of blistering pace, posting a 3-1-1-2 to simply dominate their class with a total of 11 pts. Finally finding their form late in the regatta was John & Jordan Leahey's DUTCH, posting five 2nds and winning the last race for a total of 18 pts to take the silver. Similarly, it took Andy Graff's crew on EXILE to find their way around the track without getting in trouble on the first day. Then, they showed some of their old form on the final day, closing with at least a 1st and 2nd in their scores to secure the bronze with 27 pts. 

In a very similar fashion, the six-boat J/105 class also saw a runaway winner in their class. Breaking out their can of Popeye's spinach was Jon Weglarz's THE ASYLUM. The inmates were on fire! Starting out graciously with a 3rd, they scorched the race track with five 1sts and a 2nd, closing again graciously with a 3rd in the last race for a total of 13 pts. Getting schooled were two teams that are accustomed to being at the top of the leaderboard, Clark Pellet's SEALARK and Mike Sheppard's FLYING PIG. In the end, both teams had good races, taking 1sts, 2nds, 3rds, but not enough to overcome the inmates dominating performance. SEALARK took the silver while FLYING PIG took the bronze.


Not to repeat a broken record, but the J/109 class of five boats saw a similar scenario as the 88s and 105s. The blistering pace set by Peter Priede's FULL TILT on the first day left many a wide-eyed, slack-jawed competitor mumbling off into the haze of sunset wondering what just hit them. FULL TILT wiped the slate clean in the first four races on the first day- all bullets. However, perhaps celebrating a bit too much Saturday evening, they woke up the next day (perhaps hungover) with a less than stellar 4th place in the initial race. After shocking themselves back to their senses, they managed to close with a 2-3-2 for a total of 15 pts.  The battle for the rest of the podium was very real, with the fight going down to the wire, the ultimate outcome for the podium determined by the final race on Sunday.  Taking the silver was the 2019 Chicago-Mackinac Race winner, Robert Evans' GOAT RODEO, finally finding their mojo on the final day, closing the regatta with two bullets with 21 pts total. Just one point back was the quartet of Miz/ Dreher/ Hatfield/ Neenan on SMEE AGAIN to take the bronze.

In the ten-boat ORR Class, the two J/111s finished neck-and-neck near the top of the leaderboard. Taking third was Rich Witzel's ROWDY with 24 pts, followed by Kevin Saedi and Raman Yousefi's MOMENTUS in fourth place.

Soundly beating everyone in the Saturday ten-boat ORR Distance Race class was Tom Papoutsis' J/133 RENEGADE, sailing away with class honors with a comfortable handicap lead.

Finally, the Saturday PHRF Distance Race class of eight-boats saw Frank Giampoli's J/120 JAHAZI take the silver while Rick Reed's J/35 OB LA DI! powered home into 4th place. Overall, a great outing for J/Crews across the Midwest!  For more Chicago YC Verve Cup Offshore Regatta sailing information

Ida Lewis Distance Race Preview

(Newport, RI)– The Ida Lewis Distance Race scheduled for Saturday, August 15, has a record-breaking 74 entries, indicating how much sailors are itching to compete and embrace any and all event modifications that the pandemic has necessitated. The race, in its 16th year, is hosted by Ida Lewis Yacht Club and starts off Fort Adams at 11 am. Because of CDC guidelines, the skippers’ meeting – typically held at the Club – will be held on the water at 10:15 a.m. (broadcast on VHF Channel 79A).

“It definitely will not be your normal Ida Lewis Distance Race,” said Event Chair Pat Kennedy. “We have been taking it week-by-week, but we started early on with tailoring the event to family and friends (those who can sail together safely) and keeping our plans flexible.”

To that end, the race starts on a Saturday rather than its traditional start on Friday, and 44 boats in the PHRF Aloha class (for smaller boats with PHRF ratings of 55 and higher), Coronet class (for larger boats with PHRF ratings of 54 and lower) and Cruising Spinnaker class will sail a never-before-offered inshore course that tracks 33 nautical miles around Conanicut, Prudence and Patience Islands. “Those teams will not need to sail overnight, which makes it easier for those forced to sail with a smaller crew,” said Kennedy.

The balance of the fleet– an IRC class with 10 boats and a PHRF Doublehanded class with 20 boat – will each sail one of the race’s four traditional overnight offshore courses. The round-trip courses, ranging in length from 112 to 169 nautical miles, are decided by the Race Committee just prior to the race to best fit the weather conditions expected. With turning marks at Castle Hill, Brenton Reef, Block Island, Montauk Point, Martha’s Vineyard and Buzzards Tower, they incorporate some of New England’s most celebrated cruising grounds.

In the IRC Class of ten boats, three J/Teams will be competing for handicap honors, including Steven Levy's J/121 EAGLE, Dan Heuen's J/122 MOXIEE, and Bob Manchester's J/133 VAMOOSE.

The Doublehanded sailors, comprising the largest class this year with twenty boats, and the largest class of its kind in the history of the race, has two J/Crews sailing, including Tom O’Connell’s J/99 FINALE and the American YC's mixed double youth crew on the J/105 YOUNG AMERICAN.

A half-dozen J's will be sailing inside the Bay on the very popular round-the-islands format, a very scenic tour of the Bay! The nineteen-boat PHRF Spinnaker Aloha class has many accomplished teams enrolled, including EC Helme’s J/92 SPIRIT, Bill Kneller’s J/109 VENTO SOLARE, Sam Sylvester's J/29 MEDDLER, and the US Merchant Marine Academy's J/44 VAMP.

The sole J/Team in the eighteen-boat PHRF Spinnaker Coronet division will be Mark Nannini's J/120 SALACIA.

This is the 16th running of the Ida Lewis Distance Race, which is for boats 28 feet or longer and is certified as a “Clean Regatta” by the Sailors for the Sea organization. It begins off Fort Adams and ends just inside Newport Harbor where Ida Lewis volunteers can site the finish line from their clubhouse on Lime Rock before greeting each team on the water with a congratulatory bottle of Prosecco.  For more Ida Lewis YC Distance Race information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Chicago YC Verve Cup Preview

(Chicago, IL)- One of the largest course-racing regattas in North America, the Verve Cup is an annual world-class sailing event attracting many national and international competitors. Both the 3-day Offshore Regatta and, later, the 2-day Inshore Regatta host well over 100 yachts to our beautiful Chicago lakefront and skyline

For the Verve Offshore Regatta, participating yachts range in size from 25 to 80 feet. Competitors participate in daily multiple windward-leeward races. Boats sail either in a rating handicap section, so boats of different size and character may compete against each other, or in a One-Design section. Typically, there are 18 racing sections dispersed among three racing circles. Brag flags and prizes are awarded to the top finishers in each section and one offshore boat, the winner in what is determined by formula to be the most competitive section, “The Elite Fleet,” is awarded the perpetual Verve Cup Trophy. The Verve Cup Trophy dates back to 1893 and is the Chicago Yacht Club’s oldest trophy.

For this year's regatta, of course, none of the famous (or rather infamous) social activities are taking place onshore. Instead, due to the "pandemic guidelines", the Skipper's Meeting will be handled online, all notices posted online, and everyone practicing the stuff we are supposed to as part of the pandemic protocols.  No "high-fiving" after winning races, that's for sure.

Nevertheless, the sailors in Chicago, like virtually anyplace else, are clearly suffering "cottage fever" and cannot wait to get back out on the race track.  An excellent turn-out of J/sailors will be participating in this weekend's regatta. 

For starters, the J/88 class has turned-out in strength, with seven boats ponying up to the line. Familiar faces should be in the top of the leaderboard mix, such as Andy Graff's EXILE, Ben Marden's BANTER, and John & Jordan Leahey's DUTCH. 

The six-boat J/105 class also has many of its class leaders ready to do battle offshore, such as Jon Weglarz's THE ASYLUM, Clark Pellet's SEALARK, and Mike Sheppard's FLYING PIG. 

Similarly, the five-boat J/109 class sees Peter Priede's FULL TILT, Bob Evan's GOAT RODEO, Jack Tolliver's VANDA III, and the trio of Miz/ Dreher/ Hatfield guiding SMEE AGAIN to the front of the class. 

In the ten-boat ORR Class, two J/111's are taking on all-comers; Kevin Saedi and Raman Yousefi's MOMENTUS and Rick Witzel's ROWDY. 

In the Saturday ORR Distance Race class, we find Boyd Jarrell's J/111 HEAD ROOM and Tom Papoutsis' J/133 RENEGADE also taking on their ten-boat fleet. 

Finally, the Saturday PHRF Distance Race class of seven-boats will see Frank Giampoli's J/120 JAHAZI and Rick Reed's J/35 OB LA DI! hoping to take home the silver.  For more Chicago YC Verve Cup Offshore Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

RORC Offshore Series Updates

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- As with other major offshore events, the window of opportunity to get back to racing on the Seven Seas depends on jurisdiction and where the races start and end. For the race management team at RORC, the varying rules and jurisdictions are particularly vexing when conducting races between the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Belgium, and The Netherlands.  Here are some of the latest updates.

IRC National Championship - move to September confirmed
The RORC Committee have confirmed the move of the IRC National Championships from its scheduled June time slot to September 11th to13th, Friday to Sunday. The move sees the IRC Nationals being run together with the IRC Double-Handed National Championship scheduled for the same weekend.

IRC Rating Director Dr Jason Smithwick commented, "The later schedule is a good result for the IRC fleet and allows us the best chance of giving them a top-level event with sailing in good conditions."

Channel Race & L'Île d'Ouessant Race
The Club now turns its attention to August and the traditional Channel Race and the quadrennial favorite of the L'Île d'Ouessant Race (or Ushant race), where it is hoped club racing can begin again.

RORC Racing Manager Chris Stone discusses some of the complexities and considerations in getting racing under way, "we are working to provide information as early as possible for all races, with a view to giving members and competitors an update about races no later than 30 days (4 weeks) before the scheduled race date. We will continue to ensure these updates come as early as possible to limit the disruption to those competing. There are many areas to monitor and consider, including the safety of the RORC staff and volunteers before we simply set off and go racing."

"With the cancellation of the July events, we now look more seriously at the Channel Race and the L'Île d'Ouessant Race," continues Stone. "Will Government regulations allow yachts to sail fully crewed? Current social distancing measures make it difficult for that to happen safely. Regulations also currently don't permit people to stay away from their primary residence, so we eagerly await some changes before overnight races can return to normal. There is also more serious border and immigration issues that need to be resolved. At present, sailing into foreign waters in a recreational capacity is against regulations. But, potentially, there may also be some quarantine issues to consider going forward. And lastly, we need to be extremely aware of the situation with our search and rescue authorities and examine their willingness to have events start up again. They are, after all, crucial to our sport, especially in maintaining the safety of all those competing."

Stone further noted, "we appreciate that it must be terribly frustrating watching the season go by from land. We feel the same and would like to ensure all our competitors that we are doing everything within our power to get us back to racing as quickly and as safely as possible."  Sailing Photo Credits- Paul Wyeth/ PWPictures.com.  For more RORC Offshore event sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/133 Freshwater Beauty for sale!

* J/Net Brokerage Specials! Check out our exciting new site for lovingly-owned J/Boats from around the world.


A very pretty 2006 J/133 is available on Lake Michigan. Having sailed most of her life in fresh water for about five months per season, this boat is in impeccable condition. SIROCCO 3 was originally customized with the help of Butch Ulmer (of the famous Ulmer-Kolius Sailmakers). SIROCCO 3 has many custom features such as aft pilot berths. Sails and electronics updated. Beautiful condition!  Learn more about the J/133 SIROCCO 3 here Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/133 Patriot Rolex Sydney Hobart Highlights Video

* Australian Jason Close, owner of the J/133 PATRIOT, won his division in the Rolex Sydney Hobart last year- starting on Boxing Day, December 26th, 2019.

Jason's first attempt didn't go so well. However, he saw no alternative but to come back for the 75th race after PATRIOT broke her rudder (a submerged object broke it clean off) and retired from last year’s race.

Originally owned and raced in the USA, this J/133 was the second USA-built boat to be imported into Australia. Her only other Rolex Sydney Hobart was 2010, when owned by Queenslander Tony Love. Their successful outing enabled them to finish 25th overall for second in Division 3. Otherwise, PATRIOT has been lightly raced, used more for cruising.

For our 2019 race, the crew consisted mainly of members of Sandringham Yacht Club members, with four of the sailors either current or ex-international 14-foot skiff sailors.

"We were all very disappointed after striking an object and breaking our rudder last year and we are all keen to see the finish line at Hobart this year," said Close.

Here is a well-done sailing video documentary of that Rolex Sydney Hobart Race victory, giving insights into the race preparation, the importance of crew management, and the crucial process of on-going race navigation and strategies.Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Crews Sweep Duwamish Head Race

(Seattle, WA)- The Three Tree Point Yacht Club kicked off the Pacific Northwest offshore sailing season with their incredibly challenging Duwamish Head Race. For the hard-core sailors in the greater Seattle region, the race happens to have a bit of a cult following, with a number of familiar top offshore teams taking up the annual rite of passage of their first offshore race for 2020.

The course is simple enough. Start in a northerly direction between an offshore orange mark and the RC flag on the Des Moines Marina fishing pier, leaving the green navigation buoy to starboard. Proceed to the Duwamish Head Light, leave it to port, then proceed to Blakely Rock Light, leaving it to port. Finish in a southerly direction between offshore orange mark and the RC flag at the end of the Des Moines Pier, keeping the green navigation buoy to port.

In the "big boat" PHRF 2 Division, J/Crews dominated the top four places. Winning was John McPhail's J/160 JAM by just 3 minutes over Ron Holbrook's J/133 CONSTELLATION that took the silver. Not far off the pace and missing the podium by a mere 10 seconds (!) was J. McKay's J/130 FLASH taking a fourth place.

The PHRF 4 Division saw a complete sweep of their class by J/Teams taking the entire top five spots. Winning was Tolga Cezik's J/109 LODOS, followed by Stu Burnell's famous J/109 TANTIVY in second, and Brian White's J/35 GRACE E in third. Rounding out the top five was Dan Wierman's J/35 GREAT WHITE in fourth and Jason Vannice's J/35 ALTAIR in fifth place.

Winning PHRF 6 Division was Matthew Gardner-Brown's J/105 DULCINEA. Taking third place in PHRF 7 Division was Christine Nelson & Paul Grove's J/29 SLICK.

Sail-World.com North American Editor David Schmidt, who lives in the Seattle area, sailed the race with a few friends and here is a summary of his experience racing against the three big J/Boats that dominated PHRF Division 2:

"I was looking for an adventure when I woke up at 0430 hours on Saturday (January 11) for the annual Duwamish Head Race, only to discover that NOAA had issued a small-craft advisory for the section of Puget Sound where our race would be unfurling. While this might have been cause for concern amongst some boats, I count myself incredibly lucky to sail aboard one of the fastest and best-skippered boats in the area and with a crew that defines the word "experienced", so my mind instead turned to thoughts of fast spinnaker rides.

We left the dock at 0645 hours on an unusually high tide that was following several days of hard rain (did I mention that I live in Seattle?) that deposited plenty of logs, branches and other flotsam in the water, so our skipper wisely stationed a rotating staff of crew on the foredeck with a spotlight to search for deadheads (meaning logs, not Grateful Dead fans...the latter were all back in the cockpit, your scribe included). We carefully threaded our way past several big logs and root balls, but even more impressively, the rains that were lashing the Olympic mountains to the West stayed put, giving us a (mostly) dry ride down to our starting line off of the city of Des Moines.

While NOAA might have been hyperbolic with their small-craft advisory forecast, the wind was piping at the starting line, funneling from behind Vashon and Maury islands. We hoisted our trusty J2 and a full main, with our Code-0 on the ready on the deck, knowing that the air would almost certainly lift once we cleared the starting area.

Erik, our intrepid tactical weather expert and an all-around great sailor, smartly advised that there would be an easterly component to the predominantly south-southwest breeze later in the morning, so the afterguard set us up for a low-road lane that proved to be key for several reasons (more later). Better still, we had clear air to hoist and unfurl the Code-0, and to pick and choose our own destiny.

This soon set us up to hoist the A2, and to ratchet up our VMG speed.

Things were flowing perfectly, with the wind, which was blowing at ballpark 12-15 knots, giving us ideal angles for fetching Three Tree Point and Alki Point Lighthouse with minimal gybes.

Our boatspeed was right where it should have been as we cleared Three Tree Point, when the cockpit handheld VHF crackled to life with the two most dreaded words in winter sailboat racing: "Man Overboard! Man Overboard!"

We quickly determined that the vessel in distress was roughly one nautical mile directly in front of us, separated only by the TP52, which had smartly abandoned their high-road tussle.

Instantly, our skipper and crew proved that their seamanship skills are even better their racing skills. The A2 was instantly doused, all eyes ensured that we had no cordage in the water, and the iron Genny roared to life. Paul dropped the throttle hammer, and we charged towards the stricken vessel. Soon, we could see the vessel's crew struggling unsuccessfully to pull their MOB back aboard via their port bow.

While we were a ways away, our friends aboard Sonic (said TP52) were closer and also immediately dropped their sails and motored over to assist. They approached via starboard and transferred some of their biggest guns onto the little cruising-class boat. While I was too far away to see individual faces or rescue tactics, Sonic sails with many strong bodies who wasted zero time in pulling the MOB back aboard. Better still, Jan Anderson, the area's best sailing photographer, was instantly on station with her fast-running RIB and took the MOB back ashore.

Once the situation was clear, we spun our bow, motored back to our pre-MOB-crisis position, and quickly re-hoisted the A2. While there's no question that sailing on Puget Sound in January is playing for keeps with the cold water, we quickly shifted gears from crisis mode to performance sailing mode. I'll admit that it took me a few minutes to shake off the adrenaline rush, but our afterguard afforded themselves no such luxury and instead scanned the waters for the easterly shift that Erik assured us was coming, while calling for the Code-0 to be brought onto deck.

The shift arrived, and we wasted zero time capitalizing on this evolution. The Code-0 was deployed, our VMG spiked, and we soon rounded the marker at Duwamish Head. The J2 made a reappearance as we jib-reached over towards Blake Island. Better still, the heavy-looking rains to our north were staved off by the convergence zone that we were sailing through, and our sails stayed full and at fast angles.

While I've sailed on Puget Sound for over ten years, I've never seen the breeze cooperate so well with a racecourse. A few quick tacks were required to get around Blake Island, but as we started charging back uphill towards the still-distant finishing line, Bates (another fantastic sailor and friend) made the call that we'd be able to fetch the entire leg on starboard tack, provided we could clear Three Tree Point.

We peeled to our J3 as the wind speeds built with the growing white caps. We crossed the finishing line just after 1400 hours to the astonishment of all onboard, as this is a race that we've previously only finished after sunset.

While the racing was fun, the day's highlight came as calls for the A2 resounded once we cleared Three Tree Point for the fourth and final time, our bow aimed for the barn. As soon as we finished jumping the halyard, all crew to piled onto the port quarter as our fun meter started kicking off the day's best metrics. Jake, an accomplished all-around skiff and big-boat sailor, took the helm and promptly posted the day's best number: 18.2 knots.

Regardless of which crew helped make the save, with these kind of winter races, our community of sailors all looks out for each other, providing a broad safety net. At the end of the day, all Puget Sound racing sailors are fortunate to be a part of a community with so many well-sailed boats and safety-minded skippers and crews." Sailing photo credits- Jan Anderson.  For more Three Tree Point Yacht Club's Duwamish Head Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/133 Dominates Sydney-Hobart Race Class!

(Hobart, Tasmania, Australia)- Congratulations to Jason Close's Sandringham YC team on the J/133 PATRIOT! They had a remarkable performance in the 2019 ROLEX Sydney-Hobart Race.. winning IRC 5 Class (IRC Overall 9th) and winning ORC 4 Class (ORC Overall 10th).

Jason's team included Lex O'Connor (navigator), Greg Coutts, Jordan Sunkel-Lozel, Stu Shafer, Cathy Furey, Graeme Smith, Pete Chalkley, Brett Averey, Stu Moseley, Andy Mcgrath, and Marissa Chalkley. The crew are members of Sandringham Yacht Club, with four of them having lots of International 14-foot skiff experience.

Clearly, their skiff experiences helped on this fast-reaching race... the J/133 PATRIOT was the only production boat in the top 14 overall; all the rest were flat-out, carbon-fiber racers that were professionally-sailed; TP52s went 1-2-3 (8 total in top 14), and the others were all 62 to 69 feet extreme carbon machines. Not bad company for a 15-year-old boat!


Here is the commentary from owner Jason Close on their race-winning performance:

"Our Rolex Sydney-Hobart campaign started with the Sydney-Gold Coast race in July. We had a good result, placing in both our divisions and we had a good look at our opposition.

Our race plan was to sail at, or as close to, 100% polars for the entire race and leave nothing in the tank.

With our fantastic pre-race routing and forecasting prepared by weather and climate expert Jess Sweeney, we set off confident of a good result.   

After a great start, we exited Sydney Heads with two Farr 40s and were at the front of our division.

The first night consisted of some solid downwind sailing, which the J/133 really excelled in, and it enabled us to put a big break on our division and work through boats 2 or 3 divisions higher!

We found ourselves pretty well match-racing with an extremely well-campaigned Cookson 12 named Sail Exchange. We both pushed each other up the fleet and well into the overall IRC contention.

We had a number of challenging navigational decisions around Gabo Heads, with the strong current, in particular. But, we stuck with our pre-race strategy and made some significant inroads on the fleet.

The next night, we saw 20-25 knots of breeze downwind, with a very confused sea state, but the boat cut through it like butter with the assistance of some high-quality helming by the team... the skiff sailors loved it, diving from trough to trough as long as they could!


The next phase of the race was challenging, with many wind transitions to deal with. We managed to keep the boat moving and got through the wind transitions well. Unfortunately, from our perspective, the TP52 carbon racers at the front of the fleet (all the guys that won their class and overall) did not encounter the light weather that we did, so they all put a fair amount of time on us.

Coming into Storm Bay with the Cookson still hot on our tail, we had another light period before catching a decent sea breeze. Thankfully, the moderate sea breeze carried us through to the finish and allowed us to keep our nose in front of our opposition, at least in our class.  However, that sequence of light patches, getting becalmed, and waiting for the seabreeze to build cost us a shot at the overall title.

To win both ORCI and IRC in our divisions was what we set out to do, and we were extremely happy we achieved this. Nevertheless, to finish 9th IRC Overall and 10th overall in ORCI in a big boat race against fully professional outfits in our production J/133 was nothing short of remarkable. It was a credit to our great team and our awesome boat! This was one for the little guys!!"   Sailing photo credits- ROLEX/ Kurt Arrigo  For more Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Epic Sailing for American YC Fall Series!

(Rye, NY)- The two weekends of racing in the famous American Yacht Club Fall Series had the usual cross-section of weather conditions. With a solid 15-25 kts of breeze, the AYC PRO and Race Committee were able to run six races over the first two days, giving the sailors more than they bargained for in their first weekend of racing. The second weekend of racing saw more great sailing breezes and the fleets were, for the most part, able to sail six more races; one of the best two weekends of AYC Fall Series racing in years. The 2019 edition of the American YC Fall Series had big one-design fleets of J/70s, J/88s, J/105s, J/109s, and J/44s participating, as well as an offshore PHRF Fleet.

The eight-boat J/70 fleet saw John Gochberg’s team on USA 551 take an enormous lead over the fleet and they never relinquished their lead; posting an amazing eight 1sts and four 2nds (discarding a 2nd) to win with just 14 pts net. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy Team on YOGI sailed a fantastic two-weekend series, also recording a very steady record of all podium finishes; two 1sts, four 2nds, and six 3rds for a total of 25 pts net. Rounding out the leaderboard was Manuel Cadarso’s EOLO with 39 pts net. The top five included Gibbons Sinclair’s HALF MINE II in 4th and Ghislain Descamps’ GRINS in 5th place.

Continuing their domination from the first weekend of racing, John Sommi’s CLOUD 9 won the class in a runaway victory. With the upcoming J/88 North American Championship looming over the horizon on western Long Island Sound at Larchmont, it is not surprising the eleven-boat J/88 class was going to see several teams using the AYC Fall Series as a “pre-NA’s” tune-up. Sommi’s CLOUD 9 ran away with the regatta with ten 1sts and two 2nds for 12 pts net…a mind-numbing, somewhat shell-shocking outcome for the rest of the J/88 fleet. Continuing to challenge the CLOUD 9 team were the class newcomers on Andrew Weiss & Larry Cutler’s ONE TOO MANY; ultimately, taking the silver with 35 pts and counting all top 5 finishes.  Climbing her way back into contention on the second weekend was Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION crew, closing with a strong 2-2-3 record on the last day to take the bronze with 42 pts net.  Rounding out the top five were Paul Strauch’s ANDIAMO and Tim Sweets GIVE’R from Canada in 4th and 5th place, respectively.

The fourteen-boat J/105 class had a good mixture of racing in their twelve races. Rising to the top after so many races was none other than past Long Island Sound Champion Paul Beaudin skippering his veteran LOULOU team to victory; they concluded the series with 27 pts net. Having a somewhat difficult weekend the second weekend was the early regatta leader, Dwight Greenhouse’s SKIPPERDEE; closing with a 7-DNF in the last two races to drop to second place. Arising like a “phoenix from the ashes” was David Willis’ SOLUTION; closing out the series with an impressive, consistent, 3-1-2-3-3 in the last five races to leap onto the podium in the bronze position. Rounding out the top five was John & Marisa Koten’s GRAY MATTER in 4th and Jeremy Henderson & Harald Edegran’s CONUNDRUM in 5th place.

The thirteen-boat J/109 fleet also saw one boat stand out from the pack for the entire series. David Rosow’s talented crew on LOKI sailed a very consistent series that included six 1sts in 12 races to win with just 21 pts net.  Hanging on to second place after the first weekend was Trevor Roach’s INCENDIARY with 31 pts net. Taking the third step on the podium was Jonathan Rechtschaffer’s EMOTICON with 38 pts net. The balance of the top five included Bud Rogers’ BIG BOAT with 39 pts net and Bengt & Marie Johansson’s ZIG ZAG with 63 pts in 4th and 5th, respectively.

The big-boat J/44 one-design class had a half-dozen boats sailing, with four boats sitting within five points of each other after six races! One-design sails supplied by the class ensured extremely close racing. In fact, in the final results the top four boats were only separated by one point; with the podium determined by tie-breakers! Coming on strong in the second weekend was Don & Dick Rave’s VAMP, closing the series fast and furious with a 1-4-1-2-2 tally to take the win on a tie-breaker at 23 pts each. Losing that countback was Don & Dick Rave’s RESOLUTE to take the silver. The bronze was determined on a tie-breaker at 24 pts, with Bill Ketcham’s MAXINE winning the countback over Tom Blackwell’s BREAKAWAY.

In the PHRF handicap world, we find Bill & Jackie Baxter’s J/111 FIREBALL taking fourth in PHRF 1 Class. And, in PHRF 2 Class, Scott Devine’s J/112E REVIVER produced nearly all podium finishes to take the silver in class. Fourth place went to the Landy/ Soohoo duo on their J/100 SANGUINE.  For more American YC Fall series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Ted Hood Regatta Preview

(Marblehead, MA)- The Eastern Yacht Club will be hosting the Ted Hood Regatta in conjunction with their amazing local partners, the Corinthian YC and the Boston YC for a fleet of both one-design racers and offshore PHRF handicap sailors.

The J/70 class has eight crews participating, including leading teams like Stein Skaane’s SHRED, Holly Fabyan’s ASTERIA, Graeme Carr’s JOYRIDIN, and Frank McNamara’s CHINOOK.

As the largest class in the regatta, the J/105 sailors are using the event as their “training session” for their upcoming J/105 North American Championship being sailed two weeks later in the same waters.  With seventeen teams in attendance, many of the top J/105 North American teams are in attendance.  It will be interesting to see how these teams perform over the three-day event; Bill Zartler’s DEJA VOODOO from Houston, TX; Bruce Stone/ Nicole Breault’s GOOD TRADE from San Francisco, CA; Paul Beaudin’s LOULOU from Harlem YC in New York; Tim Russell’s NE*NE from San Francisco, CA; Mark Lindquist’s STERLING from Beverly, MA; and Mark Masur’s TWO FEATHERS from Fort Worth Boat Club in Texas.

In the ORR Division is Fred deNapoli’s J/124 ALLEGRO MALVAGIO, Chris Zibailo’s J/112E DOPODOMANI, Tom Mager’s J/122 GIG, Gary Weisberg’s J/111 HEAT WAVE, Ed Kaye’s J/111 PRAVDA, and Liz Smith & Ward Blodgett’s J/33 SIROCCO.

In the PHRF Spinnaker class is Chris Lund’s J/133 JUMP from Rye, New Hampshire. In PHRF Non-Spinnaker Class is Sam Foster’s J/40 CAHOOTS from Marblehead, MA.  For more Ted Hood Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Fast Rolex Fastnet Race

(Cowes, England)- The 605.0nm Rolex Fastnet Race, one of the most famous offshore races in the world, saw 340 teams take off from the equally famous Royal Yacht Squadron starting line to begin their epic adventure, fantastic voyage out around the iconic Fastnet Rock Lighthouse.

For all J/Crews, the big decision everyone had been strategizing for days was whether to go inshore or offshore. The debate raged, but very experienced offshore veterans of the race saw it quite clearly and, remarkably, were quite prescient in their forecasting.

Fastnet Race meteorologist Libby Greenhalgh (part of the famous Greenhalgh family that also sails and races the J/92 J'RONIMO) spelled out the options for everyone the afternoon before the start; it turned out she absolutely nailed it. “Over the first night, the crews will have to negotiate a ‘transition zone’ that will see the wind drop before filling in from the southwest. It appears the best option is to go offshore and south (to get to the new gradient pressure first), as always, also dependent on the state of the tide. Faster boats will tend to dig further south towards the Casquets TSS (Transportation Separation Scheme- a ‘no-go’ zone) and will be the most southerly,” continued Greenhalgh. “For everyone else it will be of more rhumb line or just south of the rhumb line route. The good news is that after that scenario unfolds, it becomes straightforward, with a reach across the Celtic Sea to the Fastnet Rock. Heading back to the Scilly Isles, it will be southwesterly or WSWerly winds and in pressure that will vary between 15-25 knots according to the timing.”

Even IRC Doublehanded navigator, Henry Bomby, was “spot-on” for the overall race strategy. “I did quite a bit of pre-race analysis and whenever an IRC Three or Four boat does well it is because they just make it through the tidal gate at Portland Bill,” said Bomby. “Normally you are upwind through there, but we’ll be straight line sailing. There appears to be more wind in the south where the transition is also shorter, but then you end up more upwind anyway. So, our route will take us quite close to the Casquets and we’ll be offshore for the transition, then tacking and getting lifted. After the transition, we’ll be fully upwind, pointing at Penzance, but then eventually getting lifted. That will be quite a tricky thing– when you start getting the new breeze filling in. The more west you get, the quicker you’ll get through it, but the chance of sailing extra miles because you overlay is quite high. That will be a critical part of the race. For boats in this size range the crossing of the Celtic Sea will still be a reach but in a more moderate 12-14 knots.”

In the final analysis, the biggest issue the navigators/ strategists faced was, in fact, the transition zone. Those further south and west faired much better than those north. In fact, the further south and west you got, the greater the gain. The winners were all well south of rhumbline when the WSW’er filled in.

In the IRC 1B division, Nick Angel’s J/121 ROCK LOBSTER managed a 7th in class despite not being one of the more southwesterly boats in their division.  The J/121 excelled in the fast, hard-reaching conditions from Fastnet Rock back to the Scilly Isles, past the TSS zones, and into the finish at Plymouth.

Not surprisingly, it was the dynamic French duo of Gilles Fournier & Corinne Migraine on their J/133 PINTIA that pulled off a very respectable fourth place in IRC 2A division. Frenchman Yves Grosjean’s J/133 JIVARO took 7th, Englishman Chris Daniel’s J/122E JUNO took eighth, and the French duet of Alain & Marie Catherineau sailed their J/122 LORELEI to ninth place. Notably, the J/133s were the top production cruiser/racers in the most competitive class.

The twin “flying Dutchmen” produced excellent results in IRC 2B division. The two J/122 teams are archrivals, great friends, and are extremely experienced offshore doublehanded racing teams.  The first doublehanded IRC team around Fastnet Rock was the infamous duo of Robin Verhoef & John van der Starre on their J/122E AJETO! They battled on to take second place and add yet more silver to their Fastnet Race trophy collection (having won their class in the past with their J/111!). Finishing close behind them were their friends Chris Revelman & Pascal Bakker on their J/11 JUNIQUE/ RAYMARINE SAILING TEAM, taking fourth place!  For more Rolex Fastnet Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/121 DARKWOOD Triumphs in RORC Channel Race

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- Seventy-seven boats competed in the 2019 Royal Ocean Racing Club Channel Race. The international fleet experienced a variety of conditions and wind angles, testing boat handling and tactical skills.

Perhaps the surprise overall winner, from a fleet including many professional racing teams, was the J/121 DARKWOOD owned by Irishman Michael O'Donnell. O'Donnell last competed in the Channel Race in the 1983 Admiral's Cup, as a 15-year old nipper. His J/121 DARKWOOD was only launched this year, and four of the crew including Michael, race in the classic Solent-based XOD Class. DARKWOOD is very much a team of friends and family and will be competing in next month's Rolex Fastnet Race.

“I was basically a rope-puller on big boats such as Mike Slade's LEOPARD, but I have learnt a huge amount in the XOD Class, especially from Steve Lawrence and Alistair Shaw who are part of the DARKWOOD team,” commented O'Donnell. “We are pretty good at getting off the start line, but I have not done any offshore racing since 2013. I am glad that the RORC make us do the qualifying races before the Fastnet; you learn so much about the boat and how to sail together as a team. We made a lot of sail-changes especially during the night, which was hard work with just five on board. Rosie (O'Donnell’s wife) did a great job in the pit, and Jamie (Holmes) impressed on the bow. We are thrilled to have won the race, but we have a long way to go, I am sure that the wily teams in the Fastnet are not quaking in their boots just yet!”

More good news for J/Aficionados! 
The win in IRC Two went to Yves Grosjean's French J/133 JIVARO! “This result is very encouraging, as it has been an effort to get JIVARO back to the Solent to compete for the Fastnet,” commented Grosjean. “After the Channel Race, the team is in the right mood, we have great anticipation for the big race to come. At the start of the Channel Race, we were the only boat in our start to go inshore at the Squadron Line. It paid off as we led our class out of the Solent. Inshore after the Needles Fairway Buoy avoiding the worst of the tide worked well, and we had a good lead at the virtual mark. After that it was all about fighting to maintain our lead, but the big wind shift towards the end of the race was a nerve-racking moment, as we saw the JPK 11.80 Sunrise catch up, but we held on to win!”

Notably in IRC Two, sailing well was Andy Middleton & Alex Fisher’s J/120 SUNSET, taking 6th in class and David Richards’ J/122 JOLLY JELLYFISH finishing in 8th.

The next race of the RORC Season's Points Championship will be the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s biennial flagship event, the Rolex Fastnet Race. The race village on Cowes Parade will be open from 1100 BST on Thursday 1st August. The 48th edition of the epic offshore race, the Rolex Fastnet Race, will start on Saturday 3rd August from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line in Cowes.  For more RORC Channel Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.